1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic mail (e-mail); more specifically, the present invention relates to a method of verifying the accuracy of an e-mail address and, hence, the deliverability of the e-mail message, as the e-mail message is being created.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems are well known in the art and have become a staple both in the modern workplace as well as in many homes. Current technology has made possible the transmission and receipt of digital data between a plurality of such computer systems. That is, numerous independent and separate personal computers and workstations can be interconnected by transmission lines which are used to conduct bits of digital data between the connected devices, thereby forming a computer network.
Computer networks are becoming increasingly popular as they allow end users to communicate and share ideas with each other, as well as share files, application programs, and peripheral hardware. One additional feature available to end users connected to such computer networks is e-mail for sending and receiving messages to other end users connected to the network.
E-mail provides a quick and convenient way for computer users to communicate. This communication is initiated by a message sender composing a message using text (and optionally including other data) and addressing the message to a recipient at a different computer.
An e-mail message, especially one following the common RFC 822 standard (i.e., xe2x80x9cRequest For Commentsxe2x80x9d 822 defining the standard format for Internet e-mail), begins with several line of headers, followed by a blank line, and the body of the message. Additionally, an increasing number of e-mail systems support the standard for multipurpose Internet mail extensions (MIME). MIME provides the ability to electronically transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and facsimile (i.e., attachments).
To compose an e-mail message, the sender often uses a special programxe2x80x94a mail user agent (MUA), such as, e.g., Microsoft""s xe2x80x9cOutlookxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cExchange.xe2x80x9d The sender provides the e-mail address of the intended recipient, and often provides an indication of the content (subject matter) of the message by providing text in a xe2x80x9csubjectxe2x80x9d field. The sender then types a message in the xe2x80x9cmessagexe2x80x9d field and sends the message on its way to the addressee.
The message is then passed to a message transfer agent (MTA) which is responsible for either delivering the message locally or passing it to another MTA. MTAs on different hosts on a network often communicate using simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), which allows for the transfer of e-mail messages between servers. The message is then retrieved from the recipient""s local server using a version of post office protocol (POP). The message is eventually delivered to the recipient""s mailbox, from where he/she can read it using a mail reading program which may, or may not, be the same MUA as that used by the sender.
If the e-mail address provided to the e-mail software program is valid, the recipient""s computer receives the message and stores it in the recipient""s inbox using POP. The recipient will eventually read, delete, respond to, or otherwise process the message stored within the inbox.
As is well known in the art, a determining factor as to whether the recipient shall receive the e-mail message is the accuracy of the e-mail address. The e-mail address describes the destination location of the information to be sent. On occasion, it may also include some routing information. It is analogous to the addresses used in mailing a letter via the postal service. When mailing a letter, the post office needs to know for whom the letter is intended, the number and street, and the city, state, zip code, and country of the recipient. Likewise, when sending a message through a computer network, the sender needs to designate the electronic destination of the information to be sent.
For small networks having relatively few users and computers, e-mail addresses are specified in a relatively simple and straightforward manner. However, as computer networks have become more complex (e.g., with the introduction of repeaters, for copying and forwarding digital data from one network to another; bridges, for interfacing between networks employing differing protocols; and routers, for connecting networks having differing topologies), so to have e-mail addresses.
Addresses for different types of e-mail systems often require different syntaxes for specifying the necessary information. A syntax specifies how the pieces of information comprising the e-mail address are to be expressed. If a user inadvertently departs from a given syntax utilized by that particular e-mail system, the e-mail message will not reach its intended destination. For example, a careless error such as specifying a mail server which does not exist, or misspelling the addressee""s name in the message header, will prevent the e-mail message from reaching its intended recipient. Thus, it is clear that the accuracy with which the user enters the e-mail address is of paramount importance.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon in today""s hectic workplace for an error to be made with regard to entering an intended recipient""s e-mail address. Such careless errors invariably result in the e-mail message not reaching the intended recipient. Furthermore, it is often the case that the author of such an ill-fated e-mail does not become aware of his/her mistake until some significant amount of time has lapsed.
That is, by the time the sender receives an error message with regard to the ill-fated e-mail message, it is not uncommon for several hours, or even days, to have lapsed from the time the e-mail message was originally sent. Incidentally, this scenario fails to take into account the author""s time spent in preparing the original e-mail message, which may be quite substantial.
E-mail has become such a relied upon means of communication in the modem-day workplace that delays such as those described above can conceivably affect a company""s profitability; this holds especially true for today""s small business driven market. By the time the e-mail sender finally receives notification that the intended recipient""s e-mail address was incorrect, it is very likely that the subject matter of the message is no longer of use to either party inasmuch as the decisions which would have been affected by the ill-fated e-mail message have now been reached.
E-mail products such as Microsoft""s xe2x80x9cOutlookxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cExchangexe2x80x9d do offer a partial solution to the above described problem by verifying the existence of the addressee before the message is sent. However, these products are effective only to the extent that the addressee is already known to the local server. If the addressee is not local, that is, if the addressee has an Internet e-mail address, these products are capable only of examining the format of the address. If the address meets the familiar format, xe2x80x9caddressee@host.extension,xe2x80x9d it is assumed by the product to be a valid address, and the e-mail is presumed to be deliverable. Unfortunately, there currently does not exist an e-mail product that verifies the validity of an addressee""s e-mail address before the message is sent, and which also operates in the background of a client system without distraction to the user.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus which operates completely in the background (i.e., transparent to the user) to verify the validity of an addressee""s Internet e-mail address. The invention seeks to prevent the delivery of an e-mail message having an incorrect user name, server name, or a misspelling in either or both in the addressee""s Internet e-mail address.
The present invention calls the addressing error to the sender""s attention, where it may be corrected before the message is sent, thereby eliminating the potential of losing hours, perhaps days, before the addressing error is discovered. The invention, which operates using standard SMTP/POP protocols, may be easily incorporated within existing e-mail software programs.